Into the Abyss of Curiosity
by whatevergirl
Summary: It's been 10 years since Jason discovered his Kryptonian heritage. The teenager has been living peacefully with his 3 parents. Recently though, he's been trying to convince them he is ready to be a hero. His chance to prove himself comes through Brainiac; but he's not the only villain around. There are rumours that Lex Luthor has escaped prison. Written for and prompted by Steven
1. Brainiac

_Superman and its franchise are not mine. I make no money from writing this. _

* * *

Jason was, in many ways, a typical fifteen year old boy. He enjoyed football; he enjoyed that buzz teenagers get when they first start trying to drink alcohol; he really enjoyed watching cheerleaders and he liked hanging with his friends. However, there were many ways he differed to normal teenagers though: he had three parents – his mom, his dad and Clark; he had superpowers; and perhaps most importantly, he wasn't really supposed to join in with sports because he tended to have an unfair advantage he couldn't hide, he was expected to just watch.

Not that that was entirely true. His dad and Clark often took him out to remote areas so that he could play sports without holding back. It wasn't even as though his dad took him out anymore, Jason was now the one who carried his dad, rather than them taking the seaplane. Clark had shown him how to fly years ago, and he had been practicing ever since; he could still remember the first time his dad had trusted him to fly them out here; it took nearly twice the usual thirty minutes because Jason had been trying to be careful. He had accidently dropped his dad anyway, an action that still repeated itself in his nightmares, but Clark had caught the man before he had fallen far.

That had been over three years ago, and his dad had trusted him to fly him back home again later on that day. In school, Jason listened to other boys complain about what their fathers were making them do, or how their dad just did not understand them... He felt so lucky to have not one, but two fathers; both of whom cared about his interests, what he liked or didn't like. He would never tell them out loud, but he thought they were both totally amazing.

He sighed as he focussed his gaze back on the teacher. She was busy talking about volcanoes, magma chambers and the rocks that were formed by an eruption over time. He was difficult to care about this when he had seen them for himself. He was getting X-Ray Vision. That's what his dad called it, though it made Clark pull funny faces in response. It wasn't quite there though, but sometimes he could see through things.

It'd be cool if he could control it. He would love to be able to see through people's clothes… but he wouldn't mention it again in front of his parents. Clark had gaped at him like a small-town boy. His mom had crossed her arms and scowled at him and his dad had snorted and had to turn away before his wife noticed.

It wasn't until later that Clark had explained that he didn't exactly get to just see people's naked flesh all the time. There was a level of control necessary for that and it was easy to dip further and see under their flesh. He also pointed out that seeing people naked when they weren't posed to look attractive wasn't all that great. It certainly wasn't like porn.

Jason really never wanted to discuss what porn was like with Clark again.

After that, Clark had taken him and his dad out to see a volcano. His dad had enjoyed the day, but that was because he had done none of the work. He had not been the one to fly them up there (though, that really wasn't difficult) and he wasn't the one trying to focus on the lava deep in the Earth. He had been flown to the top and happily wandered around while Clark and Jason worked.

He had taken some good photos though.

Jason's mom never wanted to come up with them. She loved flying around Metropolis, but she did not like to go further out than that. She liked to be in the city, ready at all times for any big story that needed covering.

As Jason carefully drew the inside of the chamber on his paper, labelling the different rocks and the cycle they went through, he grinned. His mom was a reporter through and through. She couldn't do anything else; she didn't even like going on holiday in case they missed anything. His dad was a reporter too, but that was just a job for him. He didn't spend hours on a night clicking away at a keyboard.

His dad was the one who got the housework done. He joked that Lois wouldn't be able to survive if she didn't have someone to feed her and remind her to sleep. Jason rather suspected that was the truth.

Clark was his parents' best friend. They all knew that Clark was Jason's real father, but it was never mentioned. His dad would sometimes get this sad look when he watched Jason and Clark together, so the boy made sure to involve his dad in as much as possible.

As the teacher started to hand out sheets of paper with the homework on it, Jason sat back and smirked broadly at Marie. She was one of the loners in the class, so no jock tried to punch him out for smiling at her.

Jason had to do all he could to avoid fights. The jocks could pummel him and they would come away with bruised knuckles. Jason would come away with nothing but an awkward feeling. If he hit back, he could lay waste to them, and it would be difficult to explain away as self-defence, but the jocks got suspicious if he just stood there and let them hit him. He did his best to drift along quietly instead.

As he jammed his stuff into his backpack, the fifteen year old boy reflected that his life was actually quite dull. Five days a week, he went to school. On weekends he, Clark and his dad would, whenever possible, head out somewhere and practice flying or throwing or his X-Ray vision, or some other aspect of his 'superpowers'.

Occasionally, his grandmother would visit from Smallville and she would take him out and spoil him.

His dad's parents lived in Florida and had very little interest in what their son was doing; they had never come to Metropolis. Jason felt bad for his dad, but the man would just laugh and say he had Uncle Perry instead.

His mom's parents were pretty scary. He had only met them twice, but he had felt very stifled around them.

On some evenings, Jason would hang out with his friends. Twice, Bobby had brought some beer to share. He enjoyed that. The taste was gross, but he figured he would get used to it. At home, his dad let him drink. Not much, but when they had a big meal, Jason would be allowed apple cider to go with it; and only if he had been good. It usually only happened once every few weeks, but Jason felt very grown up when his dad put that bottle down in front of him.

Recently, Jason had been asking to go out with Clark. He wanted to join Superman and fight the evil in the world. He could fly, he could get beat up without feeling a thing, and he was really strong. There was no reason why all three of his parents said 'no' whenever he brought it up.

But, that was always their answer. Jason had to just keep his head down and focus on school. Clark had said that maybe, when he was older, they could go out together, but it wasn't time yet.

It was unfair.

* * *

When he had been younger, Jason had been utterly fascinated by Clark's ability to hear everything.

He used to sit and get Clark to point out all the different animals he could hear, to tell him who was nearby and how close they were, based entirely on his auditory system. He had been desperate to have the super hearing for himself.

He could remember one time when Clark had told him he could hear conversations that were occurring so far above their heads in a passing aeroplane.

It wasn't until a few years ago that Clark told him the problems of super hearing. It eliminated privacy. Clark could hear what Grandma Kent was doing all the time. Clark could hear everything that Jason's mom was doing, and everything that his dad was doing. Clark could hear everything that Jason was doing.

The idea had been uncomfortable. There were certain ways in which Jason was a typical teenage boy, and he preferred to think that a lock on his bedroom door kept those actions private.

Regardless, the problems of super hearing went further. Clark could hear everything, right down to people's digestive systems. Apparently the older man had to focus on not hearing everything. Jason had decided then that that was one super power he could do without.

Clark had laughed and told him it was a good one most of the time. It was the main way he identified danger.

Jason had proceeded to observe Clark after that, trying to pick out when the man was listening to something far away, or something gross.

Therefore, he recognised when Clark heard something of particular interest. The man had been eating dinner with Jason and his parents. He usually came over two or three times a week, but he didn't often get to stay for the whole meal, instead there was a tendency to fly off in the middle of it to go and help some poor sod. His parents didn't complain, they just wrapped his food up to be finished later.

This time though, it was different. Clark put his fork down and cocked his head to one side. His features set into a puzzled frown and he shifted in his chair.

"Clark? Are you all right?" his dad asked, giving the Kryptonian man a curious look.

"I'm not… Sorry, Richard. I'm going to go and check this out." Clark left the house this time, not with a look of fierce determination on his face, but with that perplexed scowl set upon it.

When Jason next saw the hero, he refused to say what it was he had encountered. Clark then didn't come for dinner for the next two weeks. Jason decided he was going to have to do something.

"Jason?" His dad was stood outside his bedroom door, his expression was filled with fear one moment, then smoothed out into a blank mask the next. Jason shook his head to try and keep his vision in the solid before opening the door.

"What's up, dad?"

"I don't suppose you've seen Clark recently?"

"No." Jason frowned. That was what his dad was worried about? His concern slid up to the next level. "Have you?"

"No." His dad dropped heavily onto the mattress beside Jason. "I don't think your mom has seen him either."

"He'll turn up soon, right?" He looked to his dad for reassurance.

"He's pretty much invulnerable to everything, Jason. I'm sure he's fine,"

His dad remained where he was though and Jason leaned into him slightly, wishing for a moment that he was still a small boy and could climb into his father's lap. Having those arms wrapped around, brittle as all human arms were; all his fears had been chased away as a child in that position.

Now though, Jason was an inch taller than his dad and probably still growing. It had taken him a long time to hit this growth spurt, but he was going up. His once-tall father was actually smaller than him now.

"He'll be at his Fortress of Solitude." Jason murmured, kind of hoping for permission to go and have a look.

"Yes. I expect so."

"I wonder what he's doing."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's fascinating."

"Can I go have a look?" His dad still hadn't actually said he could go.

"You're fifteen, Jason. You aren't flying off there by yourself."

"If you come with me…."

"Jason. You are not going anywhere. You certainly aren't dragging your father off into dangerous situations." His mom was stood in the doorway, her arms crossed across her chest. "Forget it."

"Mom…" he whined.

"No. There is nothing to worry about anyway. Maybe Clark just needed sometime on his own."

Jason huffed angrily, but didn't reply. It was never worth trying to argue with her. His dad cast him a sympathetic smile as he stood up and headed out the room.

Jason dropped back into his covers, trying to decide what he could do next.

* * *

After another two weeks, Jason decided he wasn't hanging around anymore; he was going to see where Clark was. His mom spent all her time outside, chain smoking while she scanned the skies. His dad was kind of listless as he went about his everyday life, eating and sleeping less than normal and far less talkative. They both tried to act normal when he was around, but his X-Ray Vision was improving.

He packed a spare change of clothing and some food into his backpack, before standing up, stuff his cell phone into his pocket and going to head out. However, he quickly slipped downstairs and grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge to take with him. His dad was there and they had a brief exchange, but Jason had a feeling the man hadn't really noticed him.

Even if he hadn't wanted to find Clark for himself, the effect his absence was having on the White household was ridiculous.

He stuffed the bottles into his bag and stood on the grass outside, staring for a long moment at his home. He would just go there, check it out, see if Clark needed help and then come back home; he'd be back by tomorrow at the latest…

He turned and bent his knees, pushing away from the ground. The transition was as amazing as ever, feeling the pressure drop away from his feet. It was beautiful to see his home from the air, but he had a feeling he was biased.

The journey was decidedly less than pleasant. It was a long way to go, even though without his dad holding on he could move a lot quicker. It was also more stressful than he realised making sure he didn't encounter any aeroplanes or helicopters than he had expected. Clark had super hearing which gave him extra warning, but Jason's ears were the same as any normal human's.

As the air got colder and the sky got darker as he headed away from the light up to the top of the world. He had to focus to try and remember exactly where the Fortress was; he had been here many times, but never alone. It was made up of crystals and seemed quite well stuck in place, but he wouldn't put it past Clark to move it in an attempt to hide. Thankfully, he spotted it soon and quickly descended through the icy air, his breath coming out in visible puffs as he stopped in front of the doors.

The doors were heavy, but Jason pushed them open and stepped inside, sighing in relief as he stepped away from the chill of the night air.

"Clark?" He called out, wanting to give the man some warning.

The corridors were as creepy as ever. During the day they were cool, but Jason had never been here by himself, and certainly never at night. There was an other-worldly glow that came from behind the crystals, creating long shadows that moved eerily. He focussed on his self-appointed task of finding Clark, heading up to the apartment area Clark usually stayed in while he was here.

"Clark?" he called out again, hoping to have some company. He was well aware that fifteen years was probably too old for this, but he sort of wished he had brought his dad along. The older man was always confident in what he did, and even though Jason knew the man was as breakable as any other human, he always felt safe with him.

"Jason." Clark was stood in front of him, arms folded across his chest and a scowl set deep into his face. Despite this negative reception, Jason grinned and flung his arms around the man, the relief of seeing him well and in one piece too great to resist.

"You're alright!" he exclaimed happily. Clark relaxed slightly, but stepped back; he was still frowning, but it was less severe.

"What are you doing here?"

"We were worried!"

"For goodness sake." Clark bit out sharply. "Whatever for?"

"You've been gone a month!" Jason replied, peeved that the man didn't seem to get it. "Mom and dad are dead worried and I thought it would help if I could tell them you're still alive!"

"A month?" Clark's eyebrows pulled together again, but he no longer seemed annoyed. "Well, yes… I suppose it has been a while."

"What's so important that you forgot about us?"

"I didn't forget about you guys." He protested weakly. Jason fixed him with his best blank look. His mom was perfect at this, but he was improving.

Clark just sighed and led the teenager through into one of the rooms.

"It's Brainiac." Clark said softly.

"Who?" Jason stepped through and saw a body lying on a table. It had been cut open, but instead of blood, there was wiring inside. "What?"

"Brainiac. I've been fighting him for years… Or, I thought I had been." The large man turned and stared at the body. "I got information out of this one before it stopped working. It's one of his probes."

Clark's face darkened as he turned to look down at Jason.

"What does that mean?" The boy tentatively asked.

"Probes and nanite-controlled bodies. I've not been fighting him at all."

"Oh." Jason didn't know what to say. Surely if Superman had been fighting them, then it was for the best. If they had been left, they might have wreaked havoc across the globe?

"I found out he has been shrinking cities."

"What?" Jason felt shock burst through him, swiftly followed by disbelief. "No. If cities started disappearing, we would have known about it. You, mom and dad all work for the Daily Planet, someone would have heard something!"

"Ah, no. I don't mean Earthly cities."

"Huh?"

"It has been shrinking cities from other worlds to put on his own planet."

"Why?" Jason scrunched up his face as he tried to imagine cities from other worlds.

"I'm not sure. That probe was here to investigate the viability of Metropolis."

"Huh?" He felt like an idiot, but something definitely wasn't going in.

"Brainiac wants to take Metropolis and put it on his own planet."

"What! No way!"

"I'm afraid so. I don't think I have long before he strikes. If only it hadn't taken me so long to…" Clark sighed.

"So, there is a maniac out there who is making his own planet by stealing cities from different worlds and putting them there."

"Yes."

"How… How does he get the cities?"

"He shrinks them and puts them in a bottle."

"Seriously?" Jason snorted. "Let's go smash them up then."

"I am working on it, but you, young man, you are going to go home."

"Right now?"

"It's the middle of the night." He rolled his eyes, as if he was going to fly back in the dark. He'd crossed two time zones to get here!

"You can stay for the night, but that's all."

"Cool."

"I'll be flying you back myself."

Jason just grinned at Clark before asking where he could sleep. At least if Clark came back with him, his parents would stop freaking out.

"You can stay in here."

The room had a bed, with a pile of blankets and cushions. Not quite a comforter and a pillow, but Jason supposed there mustn't be too many visitors here. He pulled a pair of pyjama bottoms out and changed into them, leaving his t-shirt on. It wasn't actually very warm in here, and the weird glow that went throughout the place was still present; it was not very homely, but as soon as Jason put his head down he drifted off.

He slept soundly, his mind untroubled by thoughts of aliens stealing his home; the idea was too farfetched to really register anyway.

* * *

"So, what is it you're going to do?" Richard's voice was soft, but Jason could hear it from his spot at the top of the stairs.

Clark had brought the fifteen year old back in time for school, so Jason had gone to his classes. However, the day had been tense; he'd been terrified of what Clark would say to his mom and dad.

As soon as he had stepped through the door, his dad had pointed wordlessly up the stairs. While Jason hadn't obeyed the wordless command to go to his room, he had lightly hurried upstairs and out of sight.

Clark had then turned and apparently finished off an explanation of who Brainiac was.

"Go out and meet him, I suppose. I don't want him here."

"Clark…" his dad's voice was hesitant, "is he here to collect cities from Earth?"

"What?"

"You say he collects cities for his… planet."

"Yes?"

"Then… is that why he's here? To help populate his planet?" Jason felt a chill go through him; to steal cities from Earth? He remembered Clark saying something about a probe the day before that had been checking the viability of Metropolis. He gripped his arms tightly, straining to hear every word.

"I think so. I'm not sure he would have even looked at Earth normally; from what I can tell the cities he usually goes for have a far higher level of technology… but I'm here, and that seems to have made a difference."

"Don't pull that face." His dad snapped at Clark, "You've done too much good to have any regret!"

"You're right." Clark said softly after a long pause. Jason shifted uncomfortably. He was incredibly glad Clark had come to Earth, it was a very important factor in Jason's own existence, after all.

"So, you're gonna go meet him? Is that a good idea?"

"I'm not sure. But, I've fought and defeated plenty of his droids before."

"That's not the same thing." His dad's voice had gone very soft, it was difficult to hear. "When will you go?"

"Tonight."

"Stay for dinner. Lois will kill you otherwise."

"She's going to kill me anyway."

Richard snorted, but his footsteps started to move towards the stairs. Jason raced to his room, shutting the door carefully so it didn't make a noise. He threw himself on his bed and picked up a book just as his dad came in.

"Leaving aside your eavesdropping…" The older man started in lieu of a greeting, "I think I'm going to get straight to the point. You're grounded."

"What?" Jason flung his book aside to stare at his father. "Why?"

"Do we really need to get into that? You left the house, without a word and took off. You left the country, for goodness sake!"

"Well, I would have told you, but you weren't paying attention to anything. You were worried too!"

"Tell the truth, now. You would have told me?"

"Well, maybe?" his dad hated it when he lied, so Jason usually told half-truths when he wanted to avoid something.

"Jason…"

"I'm sorry."

"I know." His dad sat heavily down beside him, and Jason looked at him. His dad looked exhausted; the man worked long hours, Uncle Perry was thinking about retiring and his nephew had had to increase his ours to cover the work the man couldn't do anymore. Of course, Perry probably wouldn't retire altogether, but he would be less involved. Add into that, the long hours his mom worked and the stress Jason knew it caused them, the worry he had about Clark and then Jason disappearing overnight…

He leaned over and wrapped his arms around his dad. The man returned the embrace easily, sighing and resting his head for a moment on Jason's shoulder; it was still strange being taller than him…

"I'd do it again, if I thought Clark was in danger though." He said, knowing his dad wouldn't like the idea but would appreciate the honesty.

"Tell me where you are going first then, next time."

"I will."

"_Please_, Jason. Tell me." His dad pulled back and stared into his eyes for a moment, the blue orbs searching around for any hint of a lie. When he saw there was none, his dad nodded and stood up. "I'll put dinner on. Pasta sound good?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

* * *

That night, Jason did as promised. His mom was in bed already and his dad was slouched in front of the TV, half asleep.

"Dad?"

"Jason?" His dad turned tired eyes on him, but Jason took another step forwards. Breathing deeply his rallied his nerve.

"I'm gonna go after Clark."

"What?" his dad croaked, before coughing and sitting up. As the man rubbed his eyes, Jason sat down beside him.

"I don't think he should go alone."

"You're fifteen years old. Clark is a grown man." His dad's voice was sharp, but Jason carried on.

"I know. But this Brainiac knows Clark is coming. He's been sending probes and he is coming to take Metropolis. He'll be expecting Superman."

"That doesn't mean you should go."

"What if I don't then?" his voice broke slightly, his emotions running high. "What if Metropolis is captured? We'll all go with it to this new planet! Me, mom, you, Uncle, the guys from school like Peter, Harry, Marie… We'll be there because I didn't help!"

"What if you do go to help and you just distract Clark? What if one of you gets hurt? What if you get killed?"

"Dad… Please don't ask me to stand and do nothing while Metropolis is at risk. It's my home…"

"Jason…" his dad sounded pained.

"What if Clark gets killed because no one was there to help him?"

"Jason…" Richard lurched across the couch to cling to his son, tears welling up.

"You didn't tell me to ask if I could go. You told me to say when I was going. I'm going, dad. I'll be careful, but I'm going."

His dad held on tighter, but nodded his head silently.

"Will- Will you tell mom?" Jason could not go and talk to her about this. She'd glare at him with that look that said he was breaking her heart. He couldn't do it. His dad nodded again.

"Be safe." He whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Be careful."

* * *

Leaving Earth was difficult. Jason had tried it once before, but the heat and the pressure had overwhelmed him. Clark had explained to him that he needed to increase his speed slowly.

This time, Jason got it right. He was dressed in a Super Suit. It was an old one of Clark's, but hopefully it had been washed. It fit, regardless of how uncomfortable Jason was with having underwear on the outside.

As he headed up, he was careful to go slow. '_You don't want to create too much drag_' Clark had told him. It was difficult to keep his speed down though as he enjoyed going fast.

His skin was sweating as he rose, his fingers were clammy and his stomach was nauseous. He made the mistake of glancing down. It was high! He had been in aeroplanes before, his dad used to own a seaplane! But they had never gone this high and he had been surrounded by metal…

It was just him… Nothing between himself and the Earth but clouds and air. His stomach churned and his breath quickened… He didn't need to breathe though. He was going to have to stop once he left the Earth; Clark had warned him against breathing in whilst flying through space. It wouldn't kill him, apparently, but it was very uncomfortable.

He took several deep breaths, unnerved slightly by the idea of no air. He could go underwater for ages without needing to come up for a breath, but he had known that he just had to break the surface of the water and his lungs could once again be filled…

He had no idea how far he was flying out, how long he would have to search. His eyes were very good and he'd been told he could see further when his vision was not dampened by the atmosphere… It could still be some time though.

The air had thinned now and he was pushing to keep himself moving. It was higher than he had ever been… He frowned and pushed harder, all his muscles clenched, right down to his toes! He wanted to take a breath, to take a moment, but if he stopped he would begin to fall back down.

His teeth were grinding, but he could hear nothing over the roaring of his blood, or was that the air going past his ears? He couldn't tell. His heart was thundering though, his eyes were burning and his skin felt numb; the sky was changing, the colours shifting as he rose.

Finally, the colour dropped away, leaving a black backdrop to the vast number of stars… Jason's eyes widened as he stared; he felt dizzy, but he had nothing to lean against. The moisture on his hands seemed to have dissipated and Clark hadn't warned him how dry his eyes would be up here…

Even so, this was cool! Jason grinned widely as he looked around (though he was careful to keep his mouth shut – just in case). Everything was so clear…

Turning around carefully, he looked down at his planet. He was still too close to see it as it looked in pictures, but it was beautiful. It was big and round and home.

And he was up here to protect it.

He pushed himself backwards, trying to fly using just his ability rather than mixing it with his muscles like he usually did. He overcompensated for the gravity that was no longer such an issue and went tumbling back. It was lucky no one could see him!

He turned and looked around, trying to spot something out of the ordinary. It was difficult though, he kept getting distracted by the beauty of what he could see. He would have had to be a heartless guy not to be though.

He was slightly disappointed that he couldn't see an actual belt for the asteroid belt. He could remember that in school his teacher had said there were much larger gaps between asteroids than in the movies, but he had always drawn it as a thick bands of dots…

He shook himself and went back to his task; searching for Superman and Brainiac.

There was _something_ in the distance, over by Saturn. It sure was a long way though, so if he was wrong… But then, it looked shiny. He wasn't sure if things were meant to be shiny out here. He just managed to stop a sigh before setting off; he would go with his gut instinct and fly at this.

* * *

For what should have been a secure spaceship, Jason found the vessel wonderfully easy to get on to; if he had had to flounder around outside until someone let him in there would have been problems. As it was, he hit a large button that opened a door. He hit a similar large button inside the little room that appeared then the outside door shut and the room filled with glorious air.

With no consideration for whether or not it was oxygen, Jason took a deep breath, letting the stale air to be circulated out of his lungs. He nearly fell to his knees with the heady relief. A moment later he was glad to be on his knees as some kind of artificial gravity came online. The difference was surprising, like when he climbed out a swimming pool and his body suddenly weighed too much.

Next, the door leading to the rest of the craft opened and Jason hurried through it. Now was his chance to help Clark and stop this Brainiac! He stepped forwards, looking left and right… Perhaps if he had developed super hearing, he would have some idea of where to go. He tried focussing his vision, X-Ray style, but it didn't really help. The place was a mass of metal with corridors and rooms rolling into one another.

"Left or right?" he wondered. Both ways looked the same, clean corridors with a few panels that jutted out slightly, but nothing for him to make any distinction with. "Left it is then."

It was nice to be able to hear again, he mused as he walked quietly along. In space he had had that odd silence, like his ears had both popped and he couldn't get them back to normal. He didn't think he enjoyed space travel though.

It wasn't cold in space; something to do with vacuums being very good insulators and the sun giving off radiation (though he wouldn't be able to include his first-hand knowledge of this in any school physics essay), but apparently it got cold the longer you were in it. He wondered how cold Clark had been flying to Krypton and back… he wouldn't ask though; his parents and Clark clammed up whenever he mentioned that period in time.

There was nothing interesting around though. He couldn't see Clark, he couldn't see any probes and he couldn't see Brainiac. How was he supposed to help if he wandered about like a lost sheep? He'd use his X-Ray vision again; perhaps he could spot Clark and head in that direction.

Sitting on the ground to try and avoid getting dizzy, Jason searched. He could see some things moving in slow motions, he could see a green… _was that a person_? … He spotted Clark, his blue and red suit an easy find in this ship. It was always easier when he remembered to focus.

"Now, how do I get to Clark?" he said aloud, his head dropping back as he whined his frustration.

Thankfully, Clark's hearing seemed to be up to scratch, he turned his head in the direction of Jason and then began to move through the corridors.

It wasn't long before the larger man was standing beside him.

"Jason?"

"Hey." He jumped up and grinned. Clark frowned, his eyes looking questioningly at the Super Suit the boy wore. "I wasn't sure if my normal clothes would survive a trip through space!"

"Why are you even here?" He asked, the concern in his voice was mixed with something that resembled pride though.

"To help. Don't worry, I told my dad this time."

"How did he take it?"

"Quietly… He said he'd tell mom though."

"Hmmm… Here to help, you say?"

"Yeah!" He smirked, pleased to finally have a use.

"I need you to go back to Earth."

"What?" Disappointment flooded him, then smirk dropping off his face in an instant.

"No, I need you to go back to Earth to help. I'm not entirely sure what he's going to do, but you need to help."

"What can I do?" He asked, his expression serious as he looked into Clark's deep blue eyes.

"He has numerous plans, so I'm not sure which he is going to use. One seems to be that he will just… bottle up Earth's major cities and keep them on his ship."

"Does he keep them all here? I thought he had a planet?"

"He has plenty of them here, but I'm not sure if he is keeping them until he has enough cities or if he collects some and puts them down then gets some more…"

"I suppose it's not important right now."

"No. The next is that he will destroy Metropolis, as it has great significance to me."

"But… Mom… and dad!" Jason exclaimed! He had to go move his parents!

"He has another plan, but I haven't got all the details for it yet."

"What do you want me to do?"

"He has sent three probes off to Earth. Can you defeat them?"

"Yes." He had no idea, but he was determined not to let Clark down.

"Then go, my son. Go and protect our planet."

Jason nodded, spinning and hurrying back down the corridor. He stopped just by the airlock.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to bring this green-skinned man down!" Clark smirked confidently, no trace of the stuttering reporter to be seen.

As Jason punched the button, he spotted what looked like a monkey near Clark; a white monkey with two antenna sticking up out of its head. He left though, preparing himself to do what was necessary to protect Earth.

The fly back was nowhere near as exhilarating. His mouth was dry, his heart was pumping and his mind was racing. Fear was the source of his adrenaline.

Re-entering the atmosphere was hot… really hot… He took it far too quickly, and if he had been fully human he suspected he would have burnt. He aimed himself for Metropolis though and focussed on his parents as he experienced the painful heat.

He hit the ground in their back garden and lay there for a few long minutes. The air was wonderful; fresh and cool. He breathed it in, allowing it to cool his throat… He had to move though. Hauling himself up, he staggered into the house, his body momentarily unused to the effects of gravity.

"Mom?" Jason shouted as he pulled the spare key out from underneath a rock in the flower bed. "Dad?"

Neither of them were in, but a glance at the clock told him they would both be out at work. He picked up the house phone as stared at the buttons. Who should he call? His mom or his dad… He decided on his mom. He hadn't spoken to her before leaving last night, so she would be angry, but he wanted to hear her voice.

"Hello?"

"Mom?"

"Jason White! How dare you?" She hissed angrily.

"I needed to help Clark!"

"Oh yes!" Her voice was heavy with sarcasm. "Because he can't manage on his own, can he?"

The bullpen's buzz of background noise dropped away as his mom headed somewhere quieter. When Jason heard his dad's questioning tone asking something, he realised she must have headed into his office for some privacy.

"Please, mom. He really does need help."

"I don't see why it should be you!"

"Please…" he groaned as he heard his dad say "Lois, put it on speaker."

"Right. Your dad can hear now too."

"Can you guys do me a favour?" he asked, crossing his fingers nervously.

"What is it, buddy?" his dad replied.

"Can you guys go to Smallville and stay with Grandma Kent for a while?"

"What? Why?" His mom's voice was confused, but she didn't seem angry anymore… for now…

"Please?" he begged. "Please go. I'll explain later, but I need you guys to go to Smallville."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, mom. Just…"

"We have jobs, Jason. We can't just go."

"Say it's a family emergency."

"Uncle Perry is family." His mom reminded him.

"Something like that, then. _Please!_"

"We'll think of something Jason. Don't worry."

"Thanks, dad. Love you guys."

He hung up after they returned the sentiment. Now… Probes. There were three headed for Earth. One would be Metropolis, because that's where Superman lived. But after that….

Where were the largest cities in the world? Tokyo would surely be in there, but after that? Geography was never his strongest subject… He'd look around China. If he went high enough he'd be able to see pretty far.

Hesitating for a moment, he grabbed a strip of red cloth that had been a mask at one point (things in the red of superman were in abundance in their house) and tied it around his eyes. It didn't really hide his face, but he still wanted to attend school without any kind of fuss.

He headed out and quickly locked up. How was he even supposed to find these probes? Super hearing would be useful. Flying up, he made his vision blur for a moment before focussing to look through the buildings. He was actually getting the hang of this…

There! He saw a grey figure, made of metal and standing tall. It was right in the city centre; hoping that his impromptu mask would be enough to keep his identity secret, Jason flew towards the hulking monster.

It was strong, it was tough and for all the martial arts practice he did with Clark and his dad, neither of them had ever been trying to kill him.

He didn't dare look away from his foe, the curiosity of how people would react to him driven away by necessity. Blow after blow he exchanged, it didn't seem to be injured though… A probe though… The thought occurred that he possibly needed to smash it. He gripped the thing in his arms and rose up high, struggling to keep the probe in position. He flew out towards a quiet road before shifting direction and plummeting towards the ground.

The probe broke, parts flying in all directions as it hit the asphalt. Jason grinned. He could totally do this saving the world thing with Clark. His smug satisfaction didn't last though, as he remembered that there had been more than one. Pushing off from the ground, Jason headed off to Asia.

* * *

The probe in Tokyo was no problem, but by the time he reached the probe in China, Jason was tired. He had been up since the day before and he hadn't taken any time to rest; therefore when he was over which ever city in China it was the probe had chosen, he was caught by surprise when attacked.

He fought desperate not to let anyone down, but the probe was indefatigable. It continued while Jason flagged.

It took him down and he blacked out.

* * *

Slowly, two blue eyes opened to observe the eerie green glow of the blinking lights. Jason shifted slightly, trying to make his eyes focus as he glanced around.

The room he was in was massive, but he was trapped in what seemed to be a small glass cupboard. Looking around, he couldn't see any exit; the glass was smooth. He frowned and began pushing against the walls.

It moved.

Jason frowned and pushed again. The small room slid… Crouching down, he felt along the bottom and found he could just about work his fingers under the glass; there seemed to be a few bumps in the floor, thankfully.

It was quite easy to push the glass up and slip out from underneath it.

Glancing back once he was out, though, Jason realised he had been in a glass… More like a giant jar than a cupboard. He flew up and headed out to the centre of the room, wondering where he was.

There were numerous buttons and switches around the room, all too big. He really hoped he wouldn't have to fight a giant alien.

He headed towards the wall when the door opened and a giant came inside. He had green skin and electrodes stuck to his bald head… Was this Brainiac? He could remember the green skin from when he had visited the alien ship, but this person was far too big.

"Oh, little Superman?" called the alien mockingly. "Why have you gone? I was going to put you in one of my cities for safekeeping."

The meaning of the words took some time to trickle through to Jason as he hid by a level. _Little_ Superman and in one of his cities? This alien thought he was Superman and therefore… shrank him?

That was troublesome.

How the Hell was he supposed to get back to his normal size?

It occurred to Jason that they had to be on the alien spacecraft. No one was going to ignore a green alien in a purple outfit. It was just too weird. Hopefully that meant that Clark was somewhere on the ship. He just had to find him.

"Koko, find him for me." The alien commanded the white monkey creature that sat upon his shoulder, before he turned and left the room. Jason held still, unwilling to search for Clark just yet. He needed to be away from the threat before using his vision to see outside the room.

The door opened again, and Jason crouched down, once more hiding himself. He didn't feel much like a super hero right now.

"Jason?" Clark's voice called softly through the room. The teenager grinned and flew up.

"Clark!" He called out. Clark's jaw dropped and he held out a hand for Jason to land on.

"No way." He whispered. "We have to get you back to normal. What happened?"

"I got knocked out by a probe." He flushed with embarrassment, Clark just gave him a wry smile though.

"Don't worry. I got knocked out by Brainiac."

"Oh."

"He must have used some kind of shrinking ray. Come on." Clark moved and began to walk. As the man's hand suddenly lurched beneath his feet, Jason sat down before he lost his balance.

"I can get big again, right?"

"There has to be something around here." Clark replied, striding confidently as he went.

"I hope so." Jason whispered. He lay back and shut his eyes, exhaustion starting to catch up with him. The adrenaline had stopped pumping when he had realised he was too small to do anything helpful.

"You'll have to bear with me." Clark said suddenly, after about ten minutes. Jason jolted and opened his eyes. "None of this is written in English."

"Okay." Jason whispered, and he jumped down onto a flat surface in front of the superhero. With a sigh, he lay down and allowed his eyes to flicker shut again.

Desperately hoping he wasn't wasting too much time, he listened to Clark work. The minutes seemed to drag by though, one slow moment followed by another, and then another… He thought of his mom, her long brown hair tied up in its usual bun; of his dad, with his shirt sleeves rolled up the way he always had them; of his friends; of his grandparents… He thought of Metropolis…

"I think I've got it." Clark said, his voice seeped in relief. "Come here."

"Yes." Jason hissed, a grin breaking across his face. "How does it work?"

"It's sort of like a laser, so don't freak out. I have no idea if it will hurt or not, but it should work."

Jason nodded his head, moving to stand on the floor in the middle of the room. It was slightly intimidating to be so much smaller than Superman…

He squeezed his eyes shut, unwilling to see Clark raise any kind of weapon against him; he let out a yelp of surprise though when he felt the heat of the ray hit him. He hadn't been expecting it.

Jason's body felt odd, like his skin was suddenly too tight. He squirmed uncomfortably and gritted his teeth. The sensation only lasted a moment, before the heat spread throughout his body, warming everything from his nose to his toes to his elbows and fingers…

"Oh, thank goodness." Clark said, before the man's two strong arms wrapped around the teenager and pulled him into a tight embrace. Jason hung on, his knees weak with relief.

"Thanks." He squeaked, to thankful to even be bothered by the pitch of his voice.

"Okay." Sighed Clark, pulling back. "We have other troubles so we really can't hang around."

"What's going on?"

"Brainiac is going to launch a solar aggressor at the sun."

"A solar what?"

"A solar aggressor. It basically will make the sun explode."

"Sun exploding: bad." Jason joked. He knew it was serious but he was still slightly giddy with relief.

"Right. I need you to stop it."

"How?"

"I don't care if you throw it into an asteroid or out of the solar system, just don't let it reach the sun."

"I won't." Jason nodded, his mind settling as he began to consider the options he had for his task.

"I just have to figure out how to stop this alien. Don't suppose you have any ideas?" Clark grumbled, already turning away.

"Only if you go War of the Worlds style." Jason replied with a smirk.

"War of the Worlds?"

"Yeah, you know… set in the nineteenth century; Martians; drinking human blood; defeated by bacteria because they had no immune system."

Clark's face was a picture of curiosity. He nodded slowly, before leading Jason out and to an air lock.

"Good luck Jason. Try and stay safe."

"You too, Clark." The boy grinned before shutting the door. He hit the button, felt the gravity disengage and then he stopped breathing as the door into space opened.

_'Just go and stop a missile, Jason_', he grumbled in his head. Sure, no problem. He pushed himself away from the craft and looked around. There was no evidence of a missile anywhere, but if it had come from this craft and was directed at the sun, there was only one direction he had to go.

Flying directly towards the sun was hot;_ really_ hot! Jason could feel his skin drying out as he headed towards it. His throat burned with its need for liquid, but Jason continued forwards.

He just had to trust Clark to take out Brainiac this time.

It was difficult to fly at something while trying not to look at it, but hopefully he was catching up to this missile. Adrenaline once again his ally, Jason hurried on; he passed through a shadow and glanced up, there it was.

He gave another burst of speed, stretching his fingers out as though he could grab it like this. Making his way in front, Jason decelerated to match the missile's speed. He then carefully placed his hands on the warhead; it was burning hot, and he pulled his hands rapidly away, but managed to avoid crying out.

He had to do this though.

He placed his hands again on the warhead, allowing the temperature to burn him. It wasn't as though it would damage his skin anyway. Slowly, he began to decelerate. The missile pushed to continue on its path, but Jason was stronger. He began trying to turn it away, to force it out to the far flung reaches of the solar system.

It moved, turning with Jason so that it was no longer pointing at the sun. With a last push, Jason released it.

And slowly, surely, the missile began to turn back towards the sun. There had to be some kind of target directing it.

He flew back over to it, desperation beginning to fill him. How was he supposed to stop this? Matching the missile's speed again, he looked over the control panel. This was going to be difficult. It wasn't in English… Of course, it wouldn't be in any Earthly language… He wasn't sure he just wanted to start pressing buttons though. That could end badly.

Jason made up his mind. He'd stop the missile by holding onto it until Clark got here. It felt pathetic to even think it, but he needed the man's help.

It was difficult though. The closer to the sun they got, the hotter it was. Jason was finding it very difficult to concentrate on anything at all. He felt dizzy. He kept pushing the missile though.

He would not be deterred from his task.

Why was it taking Clark so long? How difficult could it be to stop Brainiac? It was true, the alien had already knocked Superman out once, but he would be better prepared this time. It shouldn't take much longer… It couldn't. Jason could feel his strength waning. He needed to breathe! Everything burned…

The missile stopped, the lights flashing. If there had been air in space, Jason bet he could have heard it beeping.

It turned.

Jason grinned triumphantly. Excellent; _now_ he could get some rest.

It started up again, this time flying towards the beautiful blue, green and white planet Jason called home. He froze in place, feeling numb despite the burning heat of the sun.

_No…_

He spun around, desperate for some inspiration on what to do. The sun? Clark's powers were aided by the yellow sun, but Jason had been close to it for some time already; did his human heritage get in the way of that?

Could he continue to hold it off? His strength was greatly diminished already?

What other option did he have?

Jason forced his body to catch up to the missile, pushing himself in front of it and slowing down. The missile slowed with him again, but the effort expended was far greater. He was so tired.

He frowned and pushed again, but it was no good. They were now pushing down, through the thermosphere and into the mesosphere… He could feel the pull of gravity, the heat of the friction as he fell…

He was so tired…

Jason blacked out briefly, his body still plummeting as he tumbled back towards the Earth. The heat was horrible, but he reminded himself that he had been close to the sun; this was nothing.

He could breathe again though, taking in the thin air that was so high up.

Where had the missile gone? He wasn't holding it anymore…

Jason jolted, catching himself and turning around so his head was facing down. He could see the burn of something through the clouds and he headed for it.

It was easier to come back down. He pushed himself forwards, but the gravity was greatly appreciated. There…. It was an aeroplane…

He cursed, swinging around wildly in an attempt to spot the missile. If Brainiac had redirected it, where would it go?

That was an easy answer: Metropolis.

Jason flew down towards the city he loved, but he could see no missile. Stopping above the city, he peeled his dry lips apart and let out a loud wail… Where else would it go?

In his peripheral vision, Jason caught sight of an explosion. It wasn't too large, but Jason was filled with dread. Was that Smallville? Grandma Kent…

He gathered the last of his energy and pelted in that direction, fear seeped thoroughly through him. Grandma Kent…

And not just her. He had sent his parents to Smallville as well! He felt like laughing, hysteria taking over as he kept moving… This was ridiculous…

It was the Kent Farm… It was in a blaze, the building blasted apart, their ruins burning. His mom was there, screaming…

He caught a glimpse of his Grandma in the remains of her home, she wasn't moving. He flew in and with strength he didn't know he had, he threw the debris off her.

She was breathing, but only just.

The house was still burning around them, so Jason followed his instinct; he took a deep breath and blew out. The flame diminished, they flickered and died… His attention on his Grandmother, Jason wondered if he could move her.

He decided to stay put. If she had hurt her spine it was best to wait for paramedics.

"Richard!" He heard his mom screech, panic filling her voice.

Jason's head shot up and he stared out. He could see Superman, kneeling in the smoking remains of one of the other buildings. His dad was on the floor beside him… unmoving.

He wanted to cry. He was so tired and the fear wasn't going away. He tugged the mask away from his eyes as his body was wracked with tearless sobs. If only he'd done more…

He could hear the sirens in the distance. He looked up.

Clark flew over and crouched down beside him.

"You'll want to either change or put your mask back on." He said softly resting a hand on the back of Jason's head.

"M- My dad… is he…?" he croaked, unable to even get all the words out.

"He'll be okay. He's alive."

Jason whimpered, words no longer working. He leaned forwards and pressed his face into Clark's chest. The man's strong arms held him tightly, but only for a moment.

"Go change. You'll want to go to the hospital with them."

"I… I don't have…" he stuttered. He was too tired to go home and change. It was too far.

"Wait here." Clark whispered, and he flew off.

Mere minutes later, the man returned with clean clothing. Jason changed quickly while Clark went back to check on Richard.

The paramedics pulled him out of the house. They sat him on the back step of an ambulance and gave him an oxygen mask. Even the stale air that had been kept in a tank was wonderful. He took deep breaths…

A bottle of water was pressed into his hand as he watched them strap his Grandma up and take her out to the other ambulance. Superman watched her go with a carefully blank face. Jason watched as his dad was carefully placed on a stretcher and brought over.

"Budge up a bit?" one of the paramedics asked, his kind face gazing into Jason's own exhausted one.

Jason pulled the oxygen mask off and scrambled up and into the ambulance. He watched as his dad was put down…

"If you aren't wearing the mask at least drink that water." Someone commanded. Jason obeyed, he was dog-tired and ready to drop, he couldn't think.

At the hospital, he barely registered his mom arguing with the paramedics about whether or not he needed looking over. He curled up in a hard plastic chair in the waiting room and shut his eyes.

* * *

It was nearly 12 hours later when Jason woke up. He was lying on a white hospital bed in a small room. There was only one other bed in the room, and his was occupied by his dad.

He jumped up and hurried over.

Richard stirred, opening his eyes slowly and turning his head to look at his son.

"Jason." He exclaimed slowly, his face breaking into a very big grin. "You're you!"

"Hi, dad." He said softly, looking into the man's eyes. His pupils were massive.

"Hmm?" Curled up in a chair, his mom grunted and her eyes fluttered open. "Jason?"

"Mom… What's up with dad?"

"Oh. The painkillers they put him on. I think I forgot to mention that he tends to be very sensitive to anything they might give him yesterday."

"He's okay though?"

"He's broken a rib, cracked two others and his back needs some skin grafts, but he'll be okay." Jason grinned in relief. He bent down and pressed a kiss to his dad's head.

"Glad you're okay."

"You too. You were in space." The man replied, his words slurring slightly.

"How's Grandma?" he asked.

"Oh." His mom frowned, her eyes dropping. Jason tensed up. "She's in a coma. She's got a broken leg and a head injury."

"Will… How… What's gonna happen to her?"

"The doctor said he thinks she'll be fine. She just needs to heal up."

Jason frowned and grasped his dad's hand, looking for comfort.

"How's Clark?"

"Exhausted, but he'll be fine. He's with his mother."

Lois pulled herself up, coming around to pull her son close. Jason went easily, not letting go of his dad but glad to finally be by his mom again. He yawned loudly in her ear.

"S-Sorry."

"Back to bed." She said and her tone brokered no argument. Jason sighed and settled back on the bed.

"Wake me up when Clark comes by?" he asked softly. As his eyes blurred and sleep once more took him under, he saw his mom nod her head.

* * *

"So, you killed him then?" Jason asked as soon as he saw Clark.

"Not as such." Clark came inside and shut the door firmly behind him. Richard was asleep and his mom had gone to work.

"What do you mean?"

"It was your idea, actually."

"My idea?" All Jason could really remember thinking about was how to stop a missile.

"The War of the Worlds?" Jason drew a blank, shaking his head. Clark sat down in the chair by his bed. "You told me how in War of the Worlds the Martians were defeated by bacteria."

"Yeah?" Jason knew the story, but he didn't remember telling Clark about it.

"Yeah. Well, it seemed like a good idea. I led him to a laboratory that experiments on bacteria to try and find cures."

"You released deadly bacteria into the environment?" Jason asked, wrinkling his nose at the idea.

"Nothing deadly. Not to use, at least. It was just some form of flu."

"The flu killed him?"

"Quicker than I expected. Apparently his body isn't designed to fight anything like that."

"Huh…" That was pretty cool, actually. Still, how Brainiac died wasn't the only question he had. "How's your mom?"

"I think she'll be fine. Her head injury hasn't left any permanent damage that I can find. We're just waiting for her to wake up."

"How about dad?" He knew his dad would be okay, but it somehow was easier to accept coming from Clark.

"I have no worries there. He's going to be sore and I don't think he'll enjoy the upcoming surgeries, but he's got no skin on his back anymore, so he has no choice. It's just a matter of time."

Jason nodded and grinned. He had one final question.

"Can I go crime fighting with you now?"

"If your parents agree and you don't leave the country."

"What? Why not?"

"You're hearing. Until your hearing has improved I want you in the country."

Jason huffed and threw himself back into his pillows, but it was very difficult to keep the smile off his face. _Finally_ he could join Clark. He was confident his parents would agree to it.

Brainiac hadn't been such a disaster after all. His Grandma and his dad would heal up and he got to go be a superhero. The only downside was that he would have to help rebuild his Grandma's farm…

Glancing to the side, Jason noticed that Clark did not share his grin. In fact, the man looked distinctly worried.

"What is it?" he asked, sitting up as his concern rose.

"It's... Lex Luthor."

"Who?"

"I don't know if you'll remember him. He has been in jail for the past ten years."

"Is he the one who had that boat?"

"Yes." Clark nodded his head. Jason frowned. He didn't really remember him too well, just a bald man that had filled his young self with nightmares.

"What's up with him?"

"He's escaped."

"You've got me now. We can do this no problem."

"There may be a problem. Brainiac was the one who told me he escaped... if they have been conversing..."

"Not good?"

"No." Clark's scowl deepened.

"There are two of us now. Don't worry. We've totally got this."

"Two Supermen." Clark spoke with a soft smile.

"I'm not being Superman."

"No? Who are you going to be then?"

"I'll be Dark Star." He'd had plenty of time to consider his super hero name.

Clark smiled at him and nodded his head.


	2. Lex Luthor

Jason grinned as he ducked the punch. He had been going out with Clark for nearly three months now and he was enjoying himself. He grabbed the man's fist and crushed his knuckles until he cried out and fell to his knees; this was crime fighting and he loved it!

Clark had the woman on the ground, her wrists held in his fist behind her back. She was snarling, but no longer a threat.

As the police came to arrest the couple, the reporters came in on their heels.

"Superman!" they cried out, "Superman, who is this sidekick you have? Where has he come from?"

"Superman, will you and the boy smile for us! Just one picture!"

"Superman! Superman!"

They all called out for Clark. Jason tried not to be bitter; he was only young and he was always with Clark during these incidents, but he desperately wanted to be recognised as his own person… not as a sidekick!

He turned silent but imploring eyes at the older man, wordlessly pleading with him to do something. Clark's lips quirked into a small grin before he stepped forwards, hands held up to quell the noise from the reporters.

"This… _sidekick_… is a dear friend of mine. He goes by Dark Star and has been helping me for several months now."

The reporters began shouting questions at them. As Jason struggled to make individual questions out, Clark clearly understood what was being asked and gave replies.

"Yes, he did assists me when those probes attacked Earth…. The probes attacked Metropolis, Tokyo and Guangzhou. Yes, that was just before the missile that hit a small town… He is young, but I believe he will do well." With that last statement, Clark gave Jason a proud smile. Jason smiled awkwardly back, aware of both his own jealousy towards Clark and of the cameras that just kept flashing and flashing… He had thought he would be able to cope with reporters, having grown up with three of them. He hadn't anticipated the fact that he would be so nervous his voice would go, or how difficult it was to understand them.

"Come on." Clark whispered, touching a hand to his elbow. Jason turned gratefully and took off, flying quickly up and away from the crowd.

Once they were a distance away, Jason stopped. He scrunched his eyelids shut and cursed at himself.

"What's wrong?" Asked Clark.

"I don't know." He wrapped his arms around himself and huffed out unhappily. "I didn't expect it to be so difficult."

"What's difficult?" Clark looked genuinely puzzled, and Jason realised he couldn't tell the man what his problem was. How could he say that he felt so pathetic next to Superman? With his fewer powers and his awkward, human stage-shyness!

"It's nothing." He kept his voice low and blank, determined that Clark could get nothing from him.

"Alright…" The man looked a little put out, but he didn't object, simply continued back to Metropolis.

* * *

"Superman, Superman. Oh, pick me!" Alexander Joseph Luthor sat in an old armchair, mocking the super hero in a high pitched voice. "I'll do anything you ask of me…"

His attention turned to the young man stood by Superman's side. He looked like a teenager; with spots underneath his mask and a body that looked like it had been stretched on a rack.

He was in the same 'supersuit' as Superman, but with a bright red mask concealing his identity. Luthor frowned at the television, trying to work out what it was that was ticking away in the back of his mind…

There had been a child he had linked to Superman… Who was he? Sipping at his brandy, he considered the possibilities.

A boy… On his yacht… Why was it so difficult to remember? True, it had been ten years ago; also true, he had had to sit through countless therapy sessions while he had been in prison… They had put a large portion of his 'problems' down to 'child abuse', but he scoffed at the idea; he was only trying to make the world a better place.

Lois Lane! It suddenly occurred to him that Superman's dear little reporter had had a child with her. He had only been young at the time… but he would be a teenager now. He could remember her claiming that 'Richard' was the boy's father…

Was Richard the name of Superman? He would have to catch up with the dear little family and investigate.

* * *

Jason threw his bag onto the floor and fell face-first onto his bed. School was getting frustrating. His memory was improving and he was finding it easier to understand the different concepts that came up in various classes.

He no longer had any difficulty with the little nuances of French, or the formulae that came up in mathematics. His teachers were impressed, but Clark had mentioned that he may want to play down his intelligence to keep himself off people's radar.

The man hadn't even explained _whose _radar he was meant to be avoiding! So now, not only did he have to contain himself in the athletic side of school, but also the academic side! It was unfair.

"That you, Jason?" His dad's voice called out. He sounded tired, as usual.

"Yeah. You take your painkillers?"

"Don't need them."

Jason sighed and pulled himself up. He headed down to the medicine cabinet in the kitchen. His dad had had tissue expansion surgery on his back. While it was nearly healed, he was supposed to take his painkillers whenever he needed to. However, whenever Lois was out of the house, Richard refused to take anything.

"Here." He handed the pills and a glass of water to his dad, who was curled up on the couch.

"Jason, really. I know your mom is a bit weird about this, but I'm fine."

"She'll have a go at me if you don't get them down. Take one for the team, dad."

His dad rolled his eyes, but obediently swallowed the pills and drained the water.

"You gonna sit with me and watch TV?"

"Yeah. Let me grab my tablet." He jogged back up the stairs to grab his computer before getting himself settled on the other couch.

"It's nice you're not out with Clark yet. Your mom is always at work but Perry doesn't let me stay for very long." Slurred his dad as his eyes dipped. The painkillers he took now weren't particularly strong, but his dad always did too much when he was at work to make up for coming home early.

"I like being useful." Jason explained simply, shrugging one shoulder.

"You're useful to me even when you're lazing around the house and refusing to do anything." His dad mumbled before sleep took him under.

Jason stared at the man for a few long moments, affection welling up in his chest.

A few minutes later, and the teenager was staring at the screen, panic beginning to well up in his veins. He wanted to throw the tablet across the room.

'_Dearest Jason, _

_You may not remember me, but I certainly remember you. You are the poor son of a certain attention-seeking 'hero'… We both know who I mean. I would like a chance to talk to you. _

_Meet me in the park near Oak Street, tomorrow afternoon at 5 o'clock._

_Yours sincerely,_

_An Admirer.'_

An Admirer? What did that even mean? Who the Hell knew he was related to Superman? He glanced over at his dad… How did they know Richard wasn't his actual father? It was his name on Jason's birth certificate, and he was the one Jason had always called dad…

Did they know about Clark? Surely it was suspicious a man spending that much time with one family if they were just friends…

What if they thought Richard was Superman?!

Jason jerked his head up at stare at the lax form of his dad. He was so fragile… He still hadn't recovered from the last incident… Neither had Grandma Kent…

No… his dad was too small to be mistaken for Superman. Jason was bigger than his dad but smaller than Clark. Surely they would realise that.

He tapped the internet icon and forced himself to relax. It would be fine. He pulled up Facebook and began to chat to his friends, discussing general plans and tossing ideas around of what to do when the summer finally got here. He joked with his friends, looked at cars, and followed online links for interesting and weird facts… but his mind kept returning to the email.

It couldn't hurt to check this out, right? What if he did nothing and the sender retaliated? He began to wrestle his phone out of his jeans; Clark would know what to do… He stopped.

He did not want to be following Clark around for the rest of his life; playing Robin to his Batman…

He would go and meet this admirer, decide if they were a threat and if he needed to ask for Clark to protect his parents. He could be independent.

Jason watched his dad, exhaustion and pills holding him deep in slumber.

* * *

When the teenager arrived at the park, he was dressed in jeans, a t-shirt with a dark hoodie pulled over the top. He didn't turn up as Dark Star. He stood awkwardly in the park, eyes darting around as he tried to spot this admirer. Was it one of the moms, languidly resting on park benches as their kids ran rampant through the play area? One of the men tapping on their phones as they kept an eye on their children? One of the other teenagers?

"Jason?" A man's voice addressed him. He whipped around to stare into a face he could only remember seeing in his nightmares.

"Lex Luthor." He replied.

The man led him over to an empty bench and Jason followed mechanically. Now he really ought to tell Clark. Lex Luthor… It was odd, but Jason had forgotten exactly how he looked. The amused look that was set upon his face had been impossible to remember after the transition of waking up.

"It's wonderful to know you remember me, Jason. I thought I may have slipped your mind." His tone was light, conversational but Jason said nothing. He didn't know what to say. "I have to say, even then I knew you were Superman Junior!"

"I'm not Superman Junior!" He spat out, his fear of being a sidekick quelling his fear at seeing this man again.

"No? You fight with him. You wear his suit. You let him do all the talking. Even the reporters refer to you as his… young friend, his sidekick, his boy…" his tone got more and more bitter as he spoke. It mirrored Jason's own feelings.

"I go by Dark Star." He whispered, aware that he shouldn't be discussing this in public, but unwilling to suggest they go somewhere more private. He did not want to be alone with the man.

"Your name is only one small thing." He smirked at Jason, but changed the subject. "How are your parents doing? Lois and Richard, wasn't it?"

The teenager felt the colour drop out of his face. He did not want this psychopath talking about his parents… his wonderful, human, breakable parents.

"Fine." He spat out.

"Shall we return to the previous topic? I decided to be generous, you know? I'm here to help you. I can assist you in acquiring fame; you'll get the girls, you'll get the money… I'll even throw in a new suit for you."

"I…" Jason began, unsure of what to say. "It sounds good…" his voice died away again.

"It _is_ good." Luthor responded.

"What do you want in return?" He asked softly, because no one would offer him this for free. Luthor looked at him, letting his smirk relax into a friendly smile.

He didn't answer though. Just turned his attention out to the park. Jason mimicked him, his own mind whirling with different thoughts. Money… Clark never accepted a penny off people. Why would he? He had a full time job and he didn't care about getting friendly with people enough to need it…

Jason had no job. His mom would give him money if he needed it for the cinema or something, but it wasn't an income. He was still in school and now fighting crime in his free time, so he had no hours to put into a job.

Maybe…

No. No way! He stood up abruptly. He might not be terribly happy with Clark all the time, but he was sure the man would be prepared to let him go off alone in his own time. Everyone always said teenagers were too hasty. Clark would tell him when he was ready.

"I can't." He turned and began to walk away.

"You'll changed your mind." That voice cooed softly behind him.

He didn't look back.

* * *

It bothered Jason a great deal. That night, he tossed and turned in bed, desperately trying to get this mind to settle. He failed at that though. He kept imagining all the different things Luthor might do if he didn't agree to work with the man, all the things he might do if Jason _did_ agree to work with him.

He thought of his dad, sleeping in the other room. His breakable body that may be mistaken for Superman's…

He thought of his mom, who would be out like a light too. She was only human, and she had met Lex Luthor before. Jason wasn't exactly sure what had happened the last time they had met the man. They had been on a boat, and he was sure there had been wigs. He could recall killing that man who had threatened his mom with a piano; that thought still made his stomach churn, but he did his best to think about other things instead.

He considered Clark, and how disappointed he would be if Jason was supposed to be helping him and instead aided a madman.

He reached an arm out from under his covers and grabbed his cell, firing off a quick text to his friend.

'_I've seen Lex Luthor._'

He wasn't sure what else to include, so left it at that.

He stared at his phone, sitting silently on his bedside table, until he fell asleep. Clark would surely call or text when he got that message. He could unload to the man.

* * *

In the morning, when Jason staggered downstairs for breakfast, Clark was sat in the kitchen.

"Hey." Said Jason lightly, trying his best to look calm as he grabbed a bowl and some cereal.

"Good morning." Clark's face was serious. For reasons he couldn't explain, Jason's stomach burst into a knot of nervous tension.

"Where are mom and dad?" He asked, stalling.

"Your mom is at work, your dad's asleep."

"Oh." He poured the milk over his cereal.

"When did you see Lex Luthor?"

"Yesterday."

"Where?"

"In the park." Clark frowned at him, so Jason elaborated his answer. "He sent me a message, saying to meet up. He said he knew you were my dad, but I didn't know it was Luthor until I got there!"

"So, you got a message of… someone? And you just thought you'd go along."

"I wasn't going to…but if he was emailing it to me, then he knew who I was. If he thought my dad was Superman… It says Richard White on my birth certificate! What if he hurt my dad, thinking he was you? What if he hurt my mom?"

"Okay." Said Clark, softly as he nodded his head. "Okay. Don't meet him again. I'll do something about him."

The large man stood up and hurried out, leaving the teenager scooping up soggy cereal with a spoon behind.

"Bye." He muttered sarcastically.

He finished his food and headed up to his room, grabbing his tablet to check his emails before heading out to school. He had a new one.

It was from Lex Luthor.

'_Good morning,_

_I hope you have had time to think about my offer. You said you wondered what I was after other than just helping you. I am working in robotics right now, and would like the chance to test them with you. Anything else? How about a chance to get to know you? You answer some questions and I'll give you bits of information on whatever I can tell you about?_

_Let me know,_

_A. J. Luthor'_

_'Robotics?'_ He answered, fingers hovering nervously over the screen.

_'Indeed. Let's say I had a change of heart over the past 10 years. I do so regret my evil ways. You have an interest in robotics?'_

_'How about we meet in the same place, tomorrow evening?'_

_'I'll be there at 5pm.'_

Jason shut off his tablet and grabbed his bag, jittery tension flooding him. Clark had told him not to meet up with Luthor, this was a bad idea.

But… Clark kept treating him like a child, pushing him to one side whenever something important came up. He was the one who had told him about Luthor, surely Clark should have told Jason his plan?

He swiped his keys off the chest of drawers and jogged downstairs; locking up and heading off to school, the young man was grinning. Robotics! That would be interesting.

* * *

"Well, he's not my actual father." Jason stated as he gazed hungrily over the specifications Luthor had brought him.

"No?" The man had been asking about his father, commenting lightly on the fact that his parents hadn't even gotten married until he was about seven.

"I mean, he's been with my mom since before I was born, but he's not… you know…" His mind flickered back to their conversation yesterday; he had spent time worrying about Luthor thinking that Superman was Richard and attacking him. He was keen to set the record straight.

"Ah. Well, no matter." He knew Luthor wanted information from him, but that was one bit he was happy to give.

"Where did you say you got these?" They were fascinating. His mind was already speeding through the information, absorbing it, spotting flaws, correcting them…

"I worked with a… man. He called himself Brainiac." Luthor smirked as Jason's head shot up from the tablet. "Know him, do you?"

"Not really, no." Jason replied in as mild a voice as he could manage. His heart was pounding though, as though just realising how dangerous this man was, as though the link between him and Brainiac made him seem more… frightening…

"Hmm… Any thoughts on this?"

"I've made one or two adjustments…" He said softly, cautiously handing the device back over.

"Wonderful. Perhaps once I've finished building them you can use them to train?"

"Train?"

"Oh yes. You need to be well trained for Superman to take you seriously, after all."

"Goodbye." Jason turned and walked away, just keeping his pace from breaking into a jog. When he got home, his Dad was in the kitchen, singing as he cooked. Jason went in and pulled him into a tight hug.

His father simply turned the hob off and held his boy close, no questions asked. The teenager felt ridiculously grateful.

"Your mom will be home soon. Set the table, please." He said after a few moments. Jason nodded and pulled back.

"How many?"

"Just three of us. I don't know where Clark is tonight."

It wasn't until after dinner that Jason checked his emails.

Lex Luthor has sent him a message: '_Same time next week?_' followed by an address to the old industrious part of the city. There was an old factory there, long disused…

* * *

His fist handed squarely in the 'bot's face. It crumpled, but the machine continued moving. Jason frowned. He had thought the delicate circuitry was in the head… Had Luthor moved it?

"Keep going, Jason. Your enemies won't wait for you to devise a new plan." Luthor's voice called across the work floor.

Jason scowled at him, but threw himself back at the machine. Where else could those circuits be moved to? Well, they would be in the torso, it is easier to defend. However, one of the flaws he had noticed when looking at the specs, the power flow had problems if one area was severely damaged.

He jumped high above the robot, angling himself as he came back down and landing on its back. Face first on the floor, the robot floundered for just one moment. Thankfully, it was a moment too long. Jason reached a hand down and twisted the head off.

"Dead." He yelled over to Lex.

"So I see." Luthor was trying to hide the frustration in his voice, but failing miserably.

"I was looking into robots for one of my science projects this year. My dad and Clark gave me a hand."

"They are good at finding out about this sort of stuff?"

"Oh yeah. They work for the Daily Planet." And like that he was off, chatting about Clark, how his presence helped keep their family together. He said that he thought his parents would have split up by now if he hadn't been there because his mom had a tendency to zone out everything but her work and his dad needed something else to focus on. He told Lex how Clark, Jimmy and Perry were all pretty much a part of his family… and then he caught himself.

Jason could have kicked himself. He had told Luthor far too much…

"I should be heading back. Dad makes dinner for about seven."

"I'll see you next time." Luthor sing-singed at him as he hurried away.

* * *

"Lex Luthor." Clark glared at him.

"What?"

"I told you I would sort this out, and I see you hanging around with Lex Luthor?"

"Well, it's not as though you're doing anything. Besides, he's good now."

"Are you joking?" Clark's voice got louder, his face fixed in a furious snarl.

"No. He went to jail and, oh my, the rehabilitation process worked. Imagine that!"

"He's lying!"

"You haven't even spoken to him!" Jason yelled. "How do you know?"

"I just do! People like Lex Luthor don't change!"

"Oh, well then it's waste of money to put him in jail. Why even bother? Once evil, always evil!" Jason didn't even know why he was defending Luthor. They had now been meeting once a week for some time, but Jason was careful not to share too much anymore.

He turned and ran away, heading out the house and down the street. He fancied he could hear his dad slurring his name as he left from his spot on the sofa, but he was gone before he could check. He kept moving, hurrying through the streets.

Why could Clark never trust him? He had been working hard on this robot! He had been looking forward to showing Clark the progress he had made.

He got to the factory and flew straight over to their most recent robot. Number 2. It was a long way from perfect, it was missing some panelling and one or two parts weren't yet functioning, but he'd show Clark! He powered it up and took it with him, heading out and up, towards Alaska. It was on the way that Jason got caught up fighting a gang. They were aggressive but they had been threatening a small market and Jason had thrown himself into the fray. Number 2 had followed.

Just before the end, Superman swooped in and 'saved the day'. Jason could have screamed.

"I had that under control!" He snapped, once they were away from everyone.

"You just flew off and took this… robot with you."

"It was there to help. I didn't need you."

"I'm just trying to help. I promised your dad-"

"My dad would be happier if you weren't here! Really! I mean, sure, you are a good help on the international section of the paper, _Clark_," he spat, "But if Superman wasn't around my mom could focus on something other than you. Then my dad would be so lonely."

"Jason!" yelped Clark, his eyes going wide. Jason cringed slightly. He hadn't meant to say that. He certainly didn't mean it.

"I don't need you. Every time I try to do something you just swoop in and take the credit!" It was an effort to keep his anger up in the face of Clark. He looked like a wounded puppy. "Come on, Number 2."

He pushed off and headed back to the factory, wising desperately he could go back in time and change things.

* * *

_Well, well, well… Superman is Clark Kent? Who would have thought? Join me, Jason, and I won't ruin his life._

There was no name, but there was no need for one. As Jason replayed the conversation he had had with Superman, he could recall calling him 'Clark'. Why hadn't he thought that Lex would put a camera of some sort in the robot? Why?

"Clark?" headed downstairs to where Clark was sat chatting to Jason's mom, his dad was curled up and fast asleep again.

"Yeah?" Clark looked up, his face already defensive.

"I… I need your help."

Clark looked deeply into his eyes for a moment, searching for an answer. He must have found something there though, because he sighed and responded, "What can I do for you?"

"You were right about Luthor. He… That robot had a camera." Clark nodded, but didn't speak. Jason took a deep breath and fixed his eyes on his fingers. "He knows who you are and he said he's gonna ruin your life if I don't join him."

"Ah." Muttered Clark and his mom gasped loudly.

"What do we do?" He actually kind of liked Lex Luthor. This betrayal hurt, but Jason didn't want him dead or anything.

"Well, we can't just send him back to jail. He is actually out legally."

"Really?" moaned Jason unhappily.

"We'll dig up dirt on him then." Lois stated.

"Mom?" "Lois?" Jason and Clark both squeaked in a less than flattering manner.

"Let's find something to make him back down."

Jason grinned. As his mom woke Richard up, Clark went off to get laptops and Jason jogged upstairs to get his tablet.

As he settled into corner of the sofa, he decided to take action.

'_Luthor,_

_As you know now, my actual father is the reporter, Clark Kent. My normal parents are both reporters too, and so is my uncle. Trust me when I say this: we're digging the dirt up on you. _

_J. White'_

Watching his parents fact search on Luthor, reporter style, was not actually all that interesting. They all went on their laptops and began searching, dividing up different areas to search. Occasionally, one would pipe up with a question, which was generally answered pretty quickly. Jason played spider solitaire on his tablet and now and then put the kettle on to make hot drinks.

"He's emailed me." Jason spoke up, when an alert pinged at him as he was moving a stack across.

"Saying what?" Asked his mom.

"Trying to help… yadda, yadda, yadda…. Needs to develop robotics for his sister…."

"Lena Luthor." Richard murmured.

"You have something on her?" asked Lois.

"Yeah. Well, their dad was an abusive alcoholic. From what I can tell, the family was pretty poor and the father has some pretty severe charges of abuse against his children. Some stuff about gambling… She's in a hospital in a catatonic state. The doctor's seem to link it to the abuse she suffered as a child. I couldn't dig up anymore in this time though."

As they discussed the possibility of brain damage and the use of robotics in repairing it, Jason stared at his dad. Surely he couldn't just freely access medical files. It was like seeing a whole new side to him as he realised the man could apparently hack into systems.

"Can we really… do anything, when his sister…" stuttered Jason. He had a friend or two he sometimes called a sibling because he was so close to them. Surely, the bond between an actual brother and sister would be stronger. Maybe Lex _had_ changed to aid his sister… maybe the threat had been because he was getting desperate.

"You want to help? The man can't be allowed to wander free." His mom's eyes narrowed in curiously on him.

"Can't we… put him out of the way? Just, give him a lab?" He looked imploringly at all three of them. "If this works actually amounts to something, think of all the people he could help!"

"On an island then? Somewhere remote?" Clark queried, and they all nodded. Jason sighed and slumped back into the cushions, relieved at the decision.

* * *

As Superman, Clark had very little trouble getting a remote island to put Luthor on. They got a team in to build a lab and essentially left him to it.

Luthor had no companions most of the time, but Jason visited and he occasionally took Luthor off to see his sister, the pale, breathing figure in a hospital bed.

Clark complained that he was too trusting, before revealing there were cameras and numerous monitoring systems throughout the complex. Jason managed not to complain, but it was a close thing.

And so, Clark continued to be a mild-mannered reporter who was actually saving the world; Richard continued to work while pretending he wasn't lonely; Lois continued to pour herself into her own work and Jason went back to school, a new confidence about himself as he knew at on an evening he would be Dark Star, saving the world in one respect, like Superman, and helping Lex Luthor in his work to save the world in another.

Life was good.


End file.
